NAPA — Jon Gruden spent nine years on television in Monday Night Football and managed to avoid swearing on the air.

Through two episodes of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” Gruden has been the central character and a largely uncensored one. HBO does a censored version that runs before 7 p.m to shield younger audience members from blue language.

The Raiders’ head coach turned 56 Saturday, and is getting after it verbally the same way he did when he was a kid coach with the Raiders in 1998 and as an assistant with Green Bay and Philadephia before that. With the Eagles, Gruden, working from the coaches booth, once exchanged middle fingers with Ricky Watters on the sideline over the running back’s dismay over not getting enough carries.

Except in those instances, nobody ever heard the words Gruden was using. Objectionable words were not used by NFL Films or bleeped out. So in a language sense, “Hard Knocks” is Gruden unchained.

Gruden was almost sheepish when asked about what he thinks when he sees himself on video.

“I don’t like hearing all the profanity,” Gruden said. “It’s like every time I swear it makes the show. I just love football. I have a lot of passion for this and I get way carried away sometimes. I apologize. I’m not as foul-mouthed as people think, and if you think I am, I’m sorry.”

There were 47 profanities of varying degrees in Episode 2, with Gruden responsible for 23 of them.

Moments into the second episode, Gruden greeted his team, congratulated them for a solid first week, then promised to raise the bar, a sequence that was punctuated with, “I want some (bleeping) execution!”

During a 14-3 win over the Rams, Gruden’s swore often, then at one point he mutters to himself, “I gotta quit cussing.”

Of course, HBO edited the sequence to be followed up immediately with Gruden saying of the Rams, “Let’s chew these fat (bleeps) up!”

Swearing is not new to the NFL or the silver and black. Late owner Al Davis was famous for his use of a certain word that begins with “F,” although it didn’t often hit the mainstream media.

Profanity, sarcasm and humor — sometimes all in the same sentence — are major players in the Gruden experience. He was on backup quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman for not being emotional enough, and at various points referred to Peterman as a “house mouse” and a “blockhead.”
Raiders coach Jon Gruden makes a point to quarteraback Mike Glennon.

Starting quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t swear at all, but he swears by Gruden. And he warned both Glennon and Peterman about what was to come.

“The thing about him what people don’t get to see enough of is he treats us like we’re his kids, man,” Carr said. “He loves us dearly. When he’s getting on us, it’s because he wants us to be perfect. It’s fun to watch the show. I tell the guys, he’s aggressive and he’s going to be like that and it’s all because he wants you to be the best.

“It’s definitely funny to me to sit back and watch it on TV, and he says he needs to stop cussing. I say, ‘Good luck with that. I wish you the best.’”

Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams had seen clips of Gruden, but said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived as a free agent.

“Just being around him, he’s hilarious,” Williams said. “He’s fun to be around, fun to play for him. It’s been awesome. His one-liners and all that stuff, it’s just fun. Seeing him on the sidelines during the game is comedy too.”

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OAKLAND — The team the Raiders hope to be when they grow up identified itself in Week 1. Their maturity level will be tested in a big way Sunday at 1:05 p.m. when the Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs at the Coliseum. The Raiders are younger, faster, stronger. They’re also facing the gold standard […]